azabu

wow, have been wanting to try the food here and we were not disappointed. ordered too much food and everything was amazing. favorites were lamb cutlets and dumplings .excellent service with scrumptious magaritas ...

azabu is such an amazing restaraunt. it is quite dark inside and lightly lit which isn't everyones thing but i really like it. the service is so lovely and the workers always help you out with ordering and tell you whats good. i've been here a couple times and leave so full and satisfied. the first time i came here for dinner with the fam & we got all the popular stuff like the rainbow roll which is super gram worthy, the volcano roll which is so cool because they blowtorch it in front of you. we also love the chicken karaage here. then we recently came here for lunch and weren't as impressed as we were the first time but we were still satisfied.  i got the rozu chan mocktail and i really liked it as it had lychee in it and tasted so refreshing. i also got the heirloom tomato tostada which is really fresh and  the avocado roll was nice and ripe. the only thing was we ordered chicken karaage which came out so much later than everything so we had to get it takeaway as we didn't want it anymore. definielty recommend if you are in ponsonby though :)

came here for my friends birthday dinner with no idea what sort of place it was. from outside it looks like nothing but as soon and you step in you’re transported into an epic japanese fusion environment. the staff were super lovely, and the host was very kind. we were showed to a table and sat down with some drinks menus whilst waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. i ordered a glass of riesling and my friend got the rosé. both were $12 a glass and a generous pouring- really great selection of other drinks too. i got the vegetable bao bun, the eggplant tempura and a bowl of edamame and honestly i was blown away. i never knew tempura could taste so good (and i’ve been to tokyo). highly impressed. amazing service, great atmosphere and even better food.

very busy fine dining japanese restaurant in ponsonby. staff are very friendly and welcoming. service is really quick even at peak hours. food is just awesome. don't hesitate to try their raw fish menu as you will never regret it. drinks are also nice. only thing is i don't recommend this restaurant for a quiet dinner date as you will just find it a bit uncomfortable with noise & lots of people around :). will come back definitely

stopped by for a fairly late dinner and was able to get a table without booking. the place was still quite full but it wasn't very loud so having a conversation on the table was easy.

there was three of us so we ordered a few items from each section, 5 small plates, 3 larger plates and a side.

the tostada was really nice. really good flavour and there were so many textures in one bite. the other items we got were also quite nice like the mushroom special, prawn tempura and pork dumplings. of the mains the lamb chops were the best, tasty, juicy and delicious. the pork belly was a bit dry and lacking the layer of fat i enjoy with pork belly. the duck special would have been nice if the skin was crispy.

overall nice place for food.

the service was really good. they explained the specials and also told us they could add extra items with most dishes (with a minimum of 4) like the dumplings, lamb chops and tempura.

it was quite pricey, coming to almost $90 per person with the food (9 items) to share and a sparkling jelly sake each.

went here last night for an anniversary celebration. the fit out is stylish and funky and we requested a quiet table which had an awesome view of the rest of the restaurant. the menu is designed for sharing which is how i like to eat! we started with the beef tostada which was crunchy and delicious. followed by snapper cerviche which was fresh with a bit of a kick to it. we then had prawn tempura accompanied by delicious dipping sauces and a chicken katsu bun. my partner said the bun was his favourite. we then had the pork belly main which was succulent and tasty. after a dessert each too we were full to the brim. desserts were a hit with the tempura custard and tapioca. also the wine was great too. i will be back to try some of the other menu items :)

they really nailed the peruvian touch in their menu, the portions are really small but the food is amazingly good. it's totally worth it, just don't go there thinking you'll end up full without spending a fortune.

more of a 4.5 for me given the reverence this place holds amongst the dining community.

beef tostada was excellent and i really liked our ceviche. karaage is a bit on the salty side but my dining partner and i love salt. the lamb main was a hard pass for me. not terrible by any means but i've definitely had better at cassia and the now-closed cuban restaurant down the road. best to try another main.

whenever i’ve been to a japanese-peruvian restaurant i’ve never left disappointed, and azabu is no exception. this fascinating fusion seems to offer such inventive and flavoursome dishes and i can’t get enough.

it’s not easy to find, but once you walk through the doors of azabu you can tell that it’s a dining experience unlike anything else in auckland.

on the menu at are a range of plates that are made to be shared, including dumplings, tostadas, salads, tempura and sushi, all inspired by japanese & peruvian ingredients and flavours. for vegetarians, the options aren't super extensive, but there are certainly enough to satisfy. the two stand out dishes were the heirloom tomato tostada, which was an explosion of lemon, mayo, jalapeño, mint, basil, almond & coriander in every bite, and the eggplant bao, which consisted of a soft, melt-in-the-mouth steamed bun complimenting the crispness of the eggplant filling. quinoa salad, artichoke dumplings and eggplant tempura are among the other notable vege options.

just be aware- portion sizes tend to be on the smaller size, so you will probably end up ordering (and consequently spending) more than you might anticipate. overall, i’d give it an 8/10- all the flavor combinations were amazing, but a few more vege options wouldn’t go amiss.

i have dined at azabu on multiple occasions and simply cannot fault their food or service. the maitre d is always lovely and welcoming and the wait staff are fantastic. the atmosphere is relaxed, though the restaurant does typically get very busy. i have managed to get through almost the entire menu but my favourite dishes are the octopus and volcano sushi. the food is high end and delicious although a little pricey given the serving size. this bothered me a little at first but having dined there a few times now and seeing how consistent they are, i think the price is justified. azabu is where i would take visitors / out-of-town friends to. they're in a great location and they always deliver on taste and service. one of my favourites in auckland

yeah these guys are good ...
you're going to spend more than you want,  but you're going to enjoy the food.

the wagyu beef short rib and crispy pork belly were like having penelope cruz and margot robbie in your mouth ....... i don't even know if that statement makes sense, all i know is that both of those dishes were very good.

all gyoza's and dumplings were a treat, a special shout out to the vegetarian artichoke dumplings with mushroom puree, amazing texture.

my only constructive feedback on the evening would be around the volcano sushi roll.  tempura tiger prawns, sliced and placed inside a sushi roll with pickled daikon, this is then stacked on a plate, covered in salmon roe and served, they then torch the salmon roe just before you eat it (see picture below).  great theater, but unless you like a burnt tinge to your sushi, not necessary and adds nothing to the dish.  it's a shtick, the food's good enough, azabu, you don't need shticks.

the sushi rice was overcooked also, knowing the care and dedication that goes into perfecting sushi rice around the world, i was surprised this left the pass at the kitchen.

another metro top 50 ticked off the list, these guys deserve the kudos.

p.s for dessert, go straight for the tempura custard, hands down the best choice on offer, the "less is more" motto rings very true on the desserts here.

bon appetit.

superb modern japanese - salmon tiradito possibly the best japanese dish i've ever tried - tiger milk sauce outstanding. tempura custard with ginger jam left the tastebuds in heaven

great customer service and amazing ambience. it was my first time trying azabu (ponsonby) during the holidays and the menu was only limited to the new year eve’s specials. regardless of the limited selection, everything was really delicious and i find the flavours very interesting. can’t wait to go back and try the selections from the normal menu!

booked here for new years eve set menu. took our friends who had not been before. had a great night. set menu was great. a bit of everything. just a little disappointed with one dessert. what was ordered was not what we got. we were not told either. apart from that a very nice night. will be back.

had lunch here for anniversary recently with baby

lovely restaurant and they did have a chair for bub though it could do with a wipe between uses
busy little spot for lunch. the staff were nice ,i feel could be little quicker on grabbing orders and we didn't get asked options for the sushi in the bento box we ordered
we got a grilled octopus small dish that was so good,highly recommend as its super tasty with some underlying heat . and we got bento boxes for ease with little one but they were just ok ,karage chicken was good but we didn't get sushi options asked as menu mentioned and having forgotten they were salmon and avocado,sadly i don't like salmon but hubby ate it . the beef and chicken options on the bento were well cooked ,chicken being the stand out.
overall nice lunch but fairly pricey and nothing i was raving about despite all the amazing reviews. i do feel maybe if we had ordered more small plates it would have been so would be keen to try those next time around